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Congratulations to Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel for becoming the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy in the 78 years the award has been given to the nation's top college player. No doubt he deserved it given his gaudy numbers and the way he led his team to a huge upset over then-unbeaten Alabama.

The downside for Manziel: he is a football player, not a collegiate golfer or boxer, or whatever. Thus, while 15-year old Michele Wie turned pro at 15, Manziel, a redshirt freshman, cannot be eligible to play in the NFL for one more year. Nor can he make money from selling Aggie football merchandise. So while Wie made a fortune from endorsements, Manziel can earn nothing.

The NFL and NCAA say they put their rules in so players are more developed and prepared for the NFL and to keep academics separate from business. But that's a lie. It's done to keep the big college football money machine rolling. When Ohio State's Maurice Clarett challenged the league after rushing for over 1,200 yards and leading the Buckeyes to the national championship a decade ago, he eventually lost in court. Clarett became a criminal and never played in the NFL.

So Manziel must play one more season (note: I originally had two more seasons, but reader Raphael explained Manziel is a redshirt freshman) in the "safe" SEC, because his competition will be schools like Alabama, LSU and Auburn. Sure. And if he gets smacked around and injured, perhaps never turning pro, how much money will the NCAA and NFL have deprived him of? Maybe you should ask NFL owners like Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys, Shahid Khan of the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Tennessee Titans Bud Adams, whose teams need quarterbacks and whose southern franchises could best tap into Manziel mania.